Recently I was invited by the wonderful crew of outdoor industry folks over at PembaServes to contribute an article on my experience with the Petzl GriGri2 recall. Here’s the article:

Recently Petzl had to recall the GriGri2 not long after it hit the market. The new Petzl GriGri2, which was released earlier

Petzl GriGri2. Photo courtesy of PembaServes.

this year, is a new and improved version of the GriGri. The new belay device is more compact and lighter than its predecessor, easily fitting into the palm of a hand. Petzl also changed the design a little to allow for greater controlled descent, especially when a smaller person lowers someone who weighs much more than they do. Petzl, women everywhere thank you.

A long-time fan of the original GriGri, I was excited when Petzl released this new device, and of course, had grand plans of putting it to the test over the summer. I had already taken it out once to a local crag and was impressed with how well it handled slim ropes, big weight differentials between climber and belayer and how light and compact it was. When I received the news of this recall, I went and checked my GriGri2. My heart sunk. It held the digits listed in the recall. That meant the days of playing with my fabulous new belay device were numbered until the replacement arrived. It was the start of summer and I had many great climbs on the books and fun cragging days coming up in which I had been looking forward to using the new slimmer, lighter GriGri2. But, it would not be, at least not until the new GriGri2 arrived and I wasn’t sure how long that would take.

Daecheongbong Peak is located in , South Korea. Trek to the top of this famous peak for views of Korea’s top national park. It’s a place where the imagination can take hold and braving the cold is worth it for the unique beauty that does appear. Long granite ridges look more like the vertebral skeleton of a giant dinosaur or dragon about to wake than simple ridges. The strange tiered trees look at home in -15 degree C weather and the frozen waterfalls stand out as unending lines of diamonds.

The awesome crew over at PembaServes asked me to review the Petzl Ultra-Wide Headlamp for them and I was happy to oblige. It’s a great, sturdy headlamp that does what every headlamp should do – provide a whole lot of light! For the review follow this link.

So it isn’t quite August. Isn’t quite seracing season. In fact it’s still June and very much still snowing in the mountains. In fact, we have already set a record for mountain snowfall and that’s not conducive to vertical ice climbing. But, I wasn’t going to let that stop me on this weekend’s Nisqually glacier on Mt. Rainier unit I instruct for the Washington Alpine Club’s Basic Climbing Class. Dubbed, Snow II, at this weekend we go over crevasse rescue (student’s prussik out of crevasses), z-pulley, glacier travel, walking on low angle ice, and vertical ice. Catch was…. there’s so much bloody snow!! Have you every INTENTIONALLY dug out a crevasse? Now I can say I have. Very surreal for a mountaineer to do, usually your avoiding them like the plague. Then there was digging out low angle ice. One needs ice to practice crampon technique. We had to find some, and it was all very inconveniently under feet of snow. So we dub, and dug and dug somemore.

and found a midget serac. Once could get in about 2.5 swings before topping out. But hey, the students learned a thing or two about ice climbing and I was able to spend the weekend ice bouldering! Which for an #addictedtoice person, in June, is quite a happy way to spend a day. The debate raged as to whether this this was swinging tools for the last time of last season or swinging tools for this first time of this upcoming season. June is relatively in the middle between last season and the upcoming one, so I called it for this season.

Awesome! Tools officially swung for the 2011-2012 ice season. Now I just have to patiently wait until August for the real seracs to melt out.

So when’s the earliest you’ve been out climbing on ice season? Send me a few stories.

The Deuter Guide 40 SL Pack is a woman’s pack that can be summed up by three words: comfort, functionality, durability. Add to that technical features for alpinism and skiing, enough zippered openings to allow a climber access their gear from anywhere, carefully planned pockets for organization, and a slender designed – this pack is ready to take on the toughest, most demanding alpine trips and keep you feeling great while doing it.

The Black Diamond Fusion Ice Tools are designed for the fiercest mixed and ice routes. They have the aggressive curve and big handle characteristic of specialized ice tools. These tools balance well, helping one move up challenging routes with grace and ease. And they sport a few features that allow them also to be used on alpine routes.

First Ascent Sandstone Softshell Jacket. Photo courtesy of First Ascent.

The First Ascent Sandstone Softshell Jacket is a do-it-all summer climbing jacket. Light, check. Blocks that chilly wind, check. Rock-resistant durable, check. Comfy, check. Cute, check. It’s a great shell or layering piece. This jacket is all about blocking wind, keeping the wearer dry and cool with good breathability, and looking great while climbing.